Paris Jackson asks court to release $600 million from Michael Jackson’s estate

Michael Jackson’s estate held about $850 million in cash and cash equivalents at the end of 2024, according to a court petition filed by his daughter Paris Jackson.

Paris, 28, is asking a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to order a preliminary transfer of $600 million to the Michael Jackson Family Trust, which benefits her and her brothers, Prince and Bigi. The petition, filed Oct. 29 and reported by Page Six, says there is enough money to fund the trust without putting creditors or unresolved claims at risk.

The money fight: Paris alleges that executor John Branca has kept control of the siblings’ inheritance by deciding how much they receive and when. Her petition says Michael Jackson’s will called for the children to receive income from their trust shares at 21, then one-third of the principal at 30, half of what remained at 35 and the rest at 40.

She says the estate generated more than $2.5 billion in gross earnings through December 2024 and was valued between $2 billion and $3 billion. The filing points to the 2018 sale of the estate’s EMI Music Publishing stake for $287.5 million, the 2020 Neverland Ranch sale for $22 million and a 2023 Sony deal that paid $750 million upfront for a 50% interest in remaining intellectual property assets.

The estate’s answer: A spokesperson said it cannot fully fund the charitable foundation and beneficiary trusts while legal hurdles remain, particularly IRS litigation involving an initial demand for $700 million in taxes and penalties. The spokesperson said the amount was significantly reduced but the matter has not been settled.

The estate also rejected Paris’s allegation that Branca withheld or reduced payments, calling it “a complete fabrication” and saying more than $200 million has already been distributed to or for the benefit of Paris and the other beneficiaries. That is the central dispute: Paris says roughly $600 million is available after potential liabilities, while the estate says unresolved tax and legal matters still limit what it can transfer.

Why it matters: Michael Jackson died in 2009, and the estate has since turned his music, catalog and name into a business worth billions. The children’s trust was meant to receive the proceeds. Seventeen years later, they are in court arguing over how much of it can actually leave the estate.

The December hearing is where a judge will take up Paris’s request for $600 million, or another amount the court considers appropriate.